1921 W551 Strip Card Ty Cobb-Fake or Real?

I was checking out you forum and saw a post about a fake T206 Ty Cobb. I had a friend who recently encountered the same card. I looked at his scan of the card and the link posted on sportslot.com regarding the fake Cobb and both cards have the same creases and what looks like burn marks and off coloring. Anyone know if this same card has re-entered the market or multiple copies of this same counterfeit are being passed around?

I also have a 1921 W551 Strip Card Ty Cobb and am attaching a pic. Anyone tell me if it looks legit or am I the next unwitting bargain hunter that got scammed? The measurements are dead on for the specs listed in the Beckett Annual. The back is blank.

I don't know enough about the issue to say one way or the other, but I have noticed that there has been a move towards faking strip. I figure this happening because for the most part they are crude looking and it would be easier to pass off a fake since the level of skill needed to fake them might be less. With these issues though, being able to see the paper stock is usually a good way to spot as a fake. Apart from being crude looking, they were usually printed on really poor quality paper/card stock that is very hard to reproduce.

Jay

Hi,

Can't help you on the strip card but the Cobb reprint could be a few possiblities. stolen scan same card, not sure why you would do that but a possibilty. The owner knows its a reprint and been outed on the other site and trying to find another venue to scam someone. If the owner knows it is a reprint that is the best possibility.

Lee

Hi Guys,

I've attached pics of the cards that my buddy bought yesterday. The card that I showed on my post is one that I have sitting in front of me. My buddy actually bought the T209 Cobb and a 1949 Bowman Jackie Robinson RC. The Robinson card did not have red color on the back, only black. I noticed that the reprints were all black on the back and maybe the seller sanded off the reprint tag at the bottom of the card. The cards also looked like they were burnt.

sorry for the bad scan but this one is real Re: 1921 W551 Strip Card Ty Cobb-Fake or Real?

So unless I send the Strip Card in to be authenticated, it is really hard to tell by looking at a scan?

I wall told that w551's with blue names were all fake but that may o may not be true

Bob (t206head) is correct, the W551 is definitely a fake - the blue printing is the giveaway. The color on the fake is also much darker than what you'd see on an authentic example. Also, if you had both cards in hand, you'd notice a big difference in the card stock (hard to tell from the scan alone). Thanks for posting the scan of an authentic one for comparison.

All the pictures that I have found on the internet have shown black print. I just found out that the guy that I bought this card from just sold a fake T206 Ty Cobb and a fake Jackie Robinson RC.

there is a fake ruth with blue print on ebay that is up to 60.00$ that card holds strong at 300$ for any raw example

Guys,

Should I report him to the police. I honestly think that he knows that he is selling fake cards. What are the odds that he would sell 3 vintage fakes within 2 weeks.

Jack

derapsjd wrote:Guys,

Should I report him to the police. I honestly think that he knows that he is selling fake cards. What are the odds that he would sell 3 vintage fakes within 2 weeks.

Jack

Hey Jack, has your friend requested a refund on the Cobb and Robinson cards? Maybe reporting him to ebay would be your first step. I do think some sort of action should be taken here. Also, best to post questions like this before purchasing expensive vintage cards; let your friend know about this forum so he can get informed and avoid making costly mistakes again in the future. Good luck!

Ben

Looking at the Cobb card, it's almost as if Cobb is rolling his eyes thinking, I can't believe someone make another fake card of me.

Jay

My friend did get his money back. It was only $200. I had traded the same guy 2 weeks ago for the Strip Card. I traded a 1959 Topps Mantle for the Ty Cobb Strip Card. The Mantle was way off center, had some corner wear and a small crease on one corner. But it was real. I've emailed the guy a couple of times and I'm going to call him today. If I get no response, I will take the matter to the authorities.

The W551 Cobb does not look right at all.

I spoke to a guy in California who used to be a Beckett grader. He said that the W551 strip cards also had blue print and red print. Any truth to that?